Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded the University of Illinois a Project Grant of $200,413 on June 1, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853) to support discovery-based research examining the mechanisms of axonopathy in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1X (CMT1X). The research will integrate data from Schwann cells, peripheral nerve cells, and spinal motor neurons to identify therapeutic targets for preserving axonal function in patients with CMT1X, a rare genetic neuropathy affecting approximately 1 in 2,500 individuals worldwide. The research will be conducted at the University of Illinois Chicago campus and is scheduled for completion by May 31, 2028.

Under the primary research objective (Aim 1), investigators will utilize the RiboTag approach in conjunction with Chat-Cre methodology to characterize alterations in gene expression within spinal motor neurons (anterior horn cells) before and after demyelination onset in CMT1X mouse models. By identifying disrupted signaling pathways resulting from the absence of connexin 32 (CX32)—the gap junction protein encoded by the GJB gene—the research is expected to establish a foundation for hypothesis-driven therapeutic investigations addressing axonal loss, the underlying cause of morbidity across all CMT disease forms.